Damian Lewis ‘honoured’ to open British Grand Prix with performance of national anthem

Actor turned musician said ‘never in a million years’ could he have seen this coming

Homeland star Damian Lewis will perform the national anthem as he opens proceedings at the grid ceremony of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix this week.

The British actor, 52, recently released his debut album, the rock and jazz-inflected record, Mission Creep.

He will perform with his band live in the paddock at Silverstone on Sunday (9 July) after which they will play the national anthem.

Some 160,000 people are expected to attend race day, with millions more watching across the world.

Lewis said: “Never in a million years did I think I’d be singing the national anthem or playing a gig with my band at the British Grand Prix.

“It’s so special, with a unique festival atmosphere and I’m honoured to have been asked.”

Mission Creep was released by Decca Records on 16 June, with Lewis selling out shows in London at The Omeara, The Tabernacle and Hoxton Hall. Festival slots this year also include Wilderness, Cheltenham Jazz and Black Deer.

Last year, reflecting on the trend of actors turning to music, he told The Guardian: “There’s nothing more annoying than an actor who thinks he’s Bruce Springsteen. By the way, I don’t think I’m Bruce Springsteen.

“This is a mini midlife crisis, but it’s not a full-blown midlife crisis.”

Damian Lewis performs at Hoxton Hall on March 03, 2023 (Getty Images)

Elsewhere in the interview, Lewis discussed the grief he had experienced since the death of his wife, Peaky Blinders actor Helen McCrory, in 2021.

Asked whether the change in career direction was related to McCrory’s death, he replied: “Not consciously, but it’s inevitable there’s change.

“When you’ve been married to someone and they die prematurely, you’re left careering in a different direction. And that throws up… It’s a very fertile, very creative, raw, open time, as well as being flattening and difficult and sad. It’s all those things at once.

“Anybody who hasn’t been through it won’t fully understand, but I think anybody who has been through it will.”

Lewis’s performance on 9 July forms part of Silverstone’s commitment to enhance its music and the arts offering.

For the first time, the 2023 British Grand Prix will officially open with a Thursday night show headlined by British music heavyweights Calvin Harris, Jess Glynne and Cat Burns.

The music arena will see multiple acts over the weekend, with Jax Jones headlining the Friday and US group Black Eyed Peas taking Saturday’s top slot.

After Lewis’s performance in the paddock, Tom Grennan will headline on Sunday in the music arena, which has been expanded this year to accommodate up to 45,000 people.

Additional reporting by Press Association